Wild West Deep Dives

Howdy and Welcome Back to Wild West Deep Dives, this is Part 2 of our Deep Dive into the Life and Legend of Joe Meek. In this episode, we follow Joe Meek as he takes his first real steps into the wild frontier. The year was 1829, and the fur trade was booming. Meek joined a company of seasoned mountain men and adventurers, each hungry for profit and eager for glory. Together, they headed toward th...

Howdy and Welcome to Part 1 of our Deep Dive into the Life and Legend of Joesph Lafayette Meek. He was more than just a mountain man—he was a legend of the American frontier. A fearless fur trapper, bold explorer, captivating storyteller, and later a politician, Meek carved out a life that embodied the rugged spirit of the West. He roamed the Rocky Mountains during the golden age of the fur trade,...

Send us a text Bill Downing wasn’t just another outlaw in the Arizona Territory—he was the most hated man in the state. From his violent temper and lawless saloon to his connections with the outlaw/lawmen Burt Alvord, Downing carved out a reputation for brutality that left scars on every town he touched. He ran crooked games, taught his women the art of pickpocketing, and wasn’t afraid to beat any...

Send us a text Frank Butler wrote a book titled, The Life of Dave, As Told by Himself. It’s a short story of his life from his perspective and I thought it would be a fun little episode.  But I will warn you, it is his full life, from when Frank picked him up, to his death. I talk about people dying in shootouts, from accidents, but man, I struggle when talking about dogs, so just wanted to give e...

Send us a text Howdy and Welcome back to Wild West Deep Dives.  This is our final part of our Revised Deep Dive into the life of Annie Oakley.  Last week, we discussed the Buffalo Bills Wild West Show going to England, Annie’s rivalry with another woman sharp shooter, which resulted in her leaving the show temporarily… Her return, how she saved the shows hide and their return trip to East. This we...

Send us a text Howdy and Welcome back to Wild West Deep Dives.  This is our 3rd Episode of our Revised Deep Dive into the life of Annie Oakley, there will be one more episode next week and that’ll be the final part! Last week, we discussed Annie and Frank falling in love, her encounter with one of the most famous Native Americans in history, them joining Buffalo Bills Wild West Show, what her act...

Send us a text Howdy and welcome back to Wild West Deep Dives. This is our 2nd episode of our Revised Deep Dive into the Life of Annie Oakley. Last week, we discussed the new information that was found that completely changes what we thought we knew about the early life of Annie Oakley.  This week, we will discuss Annie and Frank falling in love, her encounter with one of the most famous Native Am...

Send us a text ***NEW INFORMATION*** New information has emerged that radically alter our understanding of Annie Oakley's early life; the 1875 Shooting Match never took place... The notion that Annie Oakley began her career as a fancy shooter is also false, along with many other beliefs that have persisted for over a century!!  In 2023, Shirl Kasper, the author of the remarkable biography, An...

Send us a text Little update for y'all on the Upcoming Series and my first Patron Episode on Caleb Greenwood. I appreciate all the support y'all have given me on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, all the other platforms and Youtube! My last video on Youtube, which was on the Bill Wilson Episode has over 6,000 views, over 100 likes and a bunch of comments!! Y'all are amazing! Caleb Greenwood...

Send us a text Howdy and welcome back to Wild West Deep Dives. This week, we are going to be talking about the Battle of Cieneguilla.  Along the trail between Santa Fe and Taos in the New Mexico Territory in 1854, Chief Chacon’s large contingent of Jicarilla (Hic-a-ria) Apaches engaged in a fierce battle against United States Dragoons under the command of Lieutenant John W. Davidson. The Santa Fe...

Send us a text Howdy and Welcome back to our final episode of our Deep Dive into the life of Bass Reeves. This has been an amazing series and thank you for all the support through emails, on social media, I can’t even explain how cool it is having a community to share my love of western history with! Y’all are awesome!   This week, we will talk about Bass’s retirement and his later years, talk abo...

Send us a text Howdy and Welcome back to Wild West Deep Dives. This is our 7th episode of our deep dive into Bass Reeves, there will be one more episode next week and that’ll be the final one! These next two will be shorter episodes, sort of like the Seth Bullock series, I don’t want to rush the conclusion and I’d rather do 2 shorter ones then a long one and rush to the end.  This week, we will be...

Send us a text Howdy and Welcome back to Episode 6 of our Deep Dive into the life of Bass Reeves.  Last week, we discussed Bass’s encounter with Ben Billy, take a quick glance at him arresting a future Deputy Marshal, some tragedies in his personal life, the Bandit Queen’s son and the last major change of Bass’s career. This week, we will talk about the background of Muskogee, Bass’s arrest of Jam...

Send us a text Howdy and Welcome back to Wild West Deep Dives. This is our 5th episode of our Deep Dive into Bass Reeves. We have been talking about Bass Reeves for what? A month now? And we still have so much more to discuss!  This week, we will talk about Bass’s encounter with Ben Billy, take a quick glance at him arresting a future Deputy Marshal, some tragedies in his personal life, the Bandit...

Send us a text Howdy and Welcome back to Wild West Deep Dives. Bass had already begun receiving notoriety and was in the papers constantly, some bad, but mostly good, him arresting criminals and bringing them in by the wagon loads but also some drama.  This week, we will look into the Tom Story Gang, him getting a new boss, start diving into the chaotic year of 1890 and finish with Bass Reeves, no...

Send us a text Howdy and welcome back to Wild West Deep Dives. This is our 3rd episode of our Deep Dive into Bass Reeves. Last week, we talked about some of the early years as a US Deputy Marshal, a horse race he was involved in, some work drama and his shootout with Jim Webb. This week, we are going to talk about the history of the Fort Smith jail, his encounter with an Indian Medicine man, some...

Send us a text Howdy and Welcome back to Wild West Deep Dives. Last week, we discussed Bass’s childhood, his time as a slave, his escape to Indian Territory, becoming a Deputy United States Marshal and some his first years on the force, including his shootout and trick he pulled on Bob Dozier.  We just got our feet wet last week with the life of Bass Reeves. This episode we will discuss some more...

Send us a text Our long awaited series on Bass Reeves is finally here! Bass Reeves was born into slavery and became one of the first black United States Deputy Marshals. He would repeatedly travel into Indian Territory and return with a wagon load of prisoners, from murders to whiskey peddlers, he brought ‘em in. He arrested the infamous Belle Starr, chased Ned Christie and killed Bob Dozier. But...

Send us a text Howdy and Welcome back to Wild West Deep Dives. This our is our 3rd and final episode of our deep dive into Indian Territory. I may sound a bit different in this episode, I am coming out of a cold, my apologize. But this week, we will discuss some of the battles and wars that took place in the territory, hearing from the Hanging Judge himself, and finish with some famous outlaws and...

Send us a text Howdy and welcome back to Wild West Deep Dives, this week, we are going to dive into the Choctaw and Seminole Tribes, their history, culture, removals and life after the fact, then go into a bit of history of Indian Territory!  Next week, we will discuss why Indian Territory was so lawless and some famous Outlaws and Lawmen Sources for Part 2; https://www.okhistory.org/publications/...

Send us a text Howdy and Welcome back to Wild West Deep Dives, this series, we are going to dive into the Five Civilized Tribes, the Cherokee, Muskogee/Creek, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Seminole, their history, customs, culture and traditions. Then look at their removal to Indian Territory, it's history and why Indian Territory became so lawless. Sources for Part 1; https://www.nps.gov/ocmu/learn...

Send us a text Frank Loving was a professional gambler that was involved in two famous Wild West Shootouts, the Long Branch Saloon Shootout and the Trinidad, Colorado Shootout. He walked away from the first one.. the second, he would not. Described as a cool and desperate character, he rubbed shoulders with famous western characters such as Doc Holliday, Bat Masterson and Wyatt Earp.  I am still w...

Send us a text Howdy and Welcome back to Wild West Deep Dives.  This week, we are going to be talking about the legend of Ed Rose.  He was a true pioneer of the American West. He was a part of the first American expeditions in the fur trade and he was a man that did not know the meaning of fear. No, Five Scalps starred death in the eyes and gave a sharp smirk at it through his scarred face, earnin...

Send us a text Howdy and welcome back to Wild West Deep Dives, this is Part 5 and our Final Part  of our Deep Dive into the life of Hugh Glass. This has been an amazing series and I hope y'all have enjoyed it! This week, we are going to talk about his later years, answer some common questions about his life, then take a deep dive in the movie, The Revenant! Thank you for all the love and supp...

Send us a text Howdy and Welcome back to Wild West Deep Dives, this is Part 4 of our Deep Dive into life of Hugh Glass. Last week, we talked about how his party was attacked by the normally peaceful Mandan and Hidatsa’s, his infamous encounter with Old Ephraim, Glass getting abandoned by his comrades, and his heroic journey of vengeance. I know I left y’all on a cliff hanger last week, but man oh...